Sep 18 Salisbury Steak

Who grew up eating a ridiculous amount of TV dinners? I was truly a child of the 80's and we had these many a nights along with all those convenience foods that literally changed the food industry. You know, the blue box of mac and cheese, Hamburger Helper, frozen lasagnas, all those things that helped out all the working families out there. That was the start of the shift in wanting convenience over the quality of our food and I am glad we are waking up to better choices. Real food is so much better than Frankenfood! Sorry to get all preachy there but real food is definitely something I am passionate about, it might take longer than 3 minutes to make but so worth it. And I promise this won't burn your mouth on the first bite and yet still be frozen, wasn't that the worst?!

Salisbury Steak was one of my absolute favorites and I wanted to give my family the same nostalgic flavors without it actually being gross! I have no idea why this is called steak because let's be real, this is hamburger patties with a mushroom gravy. Which makes this budget friendly and if your kids like the word burger more than steak, say gravy burgers! And my mushroom hating child ate this so you never know what they will like!

I wanted to make this super friendly for all types of allergies because I know there are so many families navigating different allergies. A friend from high school has a little one with a whole host of allergies and seeing how hard she works for her kiddos to have a happy, healthy, and normal life is absolutely inspiring. So this is gluten, grain, dairy, and nut free so everyone can enjoy this dinner that is delicious!

Salisbury Steak

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, lean

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, diced

2 Tablespoons oil + more to drizzle

1 cup beef or chicken broth or stock

1 teaspoon coconut aminos

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce, Red Boat is Whole30 Compliant

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon Italian herbs

2 Tablespoons tapioca flour

- Combine the meat, salt, garlic, onion, and pepper seasonings in a large bowl. Divide the mixture into 5-6 patties.

- Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Sear each side of the patties until browned, about 3 minutes each. Set aside on a plate. Combine the broth, coconut aminos, and fish sauce, set aside.

- Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet, add the mushrooms and cook until slightly browned, add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened and brown, lower the heat.

- Sprinkle the tapioca flour over the onions and mushrooms, stir and cook for a minute. Add the spices and herbs, stir. Pour over the liquid mixture slowly while stirring and allow to thicken.

- Add the patties back into the pan and cover with some of the sauce, cover and allow the patties to cook through. Alternatively, you can place it into a 400 oven for a few minutes until the patties are to your desired color.

Season the patties in a bowl and mix with your hands then divide into 5-6 patties. Heat some oil and sear the patties until they get a nice browned crust

Now just mix up the broth along with the fish sauce and coconut aminos. This is the closest thing I can mix up to make Worcester sauce which I have yet to find a compliant one!

Chop up the mushrooms and onions. Then do the remaining Tablespoon of oil to the pan on medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and cook for several minutes until almost browned. Add the onions and add oil if needed to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, cook until browned. This is the wow factor of the delicious gravy!

Add the spices and dried herbs, this adds depth to the flavor. Then sprinkle the tapioca flour over, this acts as the flour thickener, just stir and ensure it is evenly distributed over the mushrooms and onions. Now gently pour the broth mixture over and continually stir. As it heats up, it will thicken. If it is too thick, add a little more broth!

Finally add the patties back to the pan and make sure to get the gravy all over. You can either continue to cook the patties or pop the whole pan in the oven (make sure it is oven safe!) at 400 for about 10-15 minutes.